Susan Martin getting to know people and places at Eastern Michigan University

Alan Warren | The Ann Arbor NewsEastern Michigan University President Susan Martin greets staff at a midday ice cream break at the university's Lake House on Aug. 7.

Susan Martin could talk on the phone at 9:30 p.m. that August night, but no earlier.

She first had to meet members of the Astronomy Club at the observatory at Sherzer Hall. It was a perfect night to get a good look at Jupiter, so she accepted an invitation and enjoyed the view with about 10 students and several professors.

The next day she planned to visit the offices of career and judicial services, along with the recreational and IM sports facility. About half the day would be spent "going around offices and finding out how things work here."

It's been that kind of routine for Martin since she officially arrived on campus July 7 to become the 22nd president of Eastern Michigan University and the first woman to lead the institution.

The nonstop, meet-and-greet routine has quickly won Martin recognition around a campus eager to support such an accessible new leader after the last two presidents left amid controversy and rancor.

"She's so committed to making EMU successful you could just sense it," says Howard Bunsis, an accounting professor who's president of the professors union at Eastern.

Bunsis, who has met with Martin a variety of times, including for dinner, said she listens intently and comes across as genuine and caring. "She recognizes this is our lives," Bunsis of Martin's seemingly high regard for faculty members.

Bunsis said Martin's broad background in finance and as an accounting professor will help her in confronting EMU's revenue challenges.

Mark Higbee, a history professor and former union officer who's active in campus affairs, described Martin as smart and hard-working.

"She hears you, and then gets more information, " Higbee says.

"It's a careful, deliberate way of approaching things."

Dara Walker, a senior from Washington, majoring in African-American studies, said Martin seems very supportive. "She's showed up to just about everything," Walker said of this summer.

Bert Greene, president of EMU's emeritus association of honored former faculty and staff, described Martin as "a breath of fresh air" on campus.

"She's made tremendous inroads," Greene said. "Take a look at how many functions she's been to and given. I don't know what else she could do to show she is going to be a vital part of (EMU)."

Martin says she gained a variety of insights while making her rounds.

For instance, while visiting the admissions, advising and financial aid offices at Pierce Hall, she noticed how new students and their parents were directed to a variety of areas on different floors. Martin wondered how EMU could streamline the process and turn it into a one-stop shopping experience.

"Sometimes people get a little intimidated," she says of that first exposure to campus. "How can we make that first experience when they come to see us as friendly and easy as possible?"

Martin says the Astronomy Club visit was typical of what she's found at EMU: an accessible faculty and engaged students. "It's a huge university with a wonderful array of things, but it feels like a small place, " she said.

"Everybody is so committed."

Along with the nuts-and-bolts issues of building her leadership team and generating new revenue, Martin says she seeks to create a plan for success at Eastern that is clear and will inspire confidence.

The challenge is partly attitudinal, she said, "to help reaffirm that EMU is a great university and that (people) can have trust and confidence in the leadership here, that we believe in the place and have the ability to move the university forward."

Martin says as she's reached out to the EMU community, people have responded in kind.

She recalled strolling through Depot Town with her husband when a man spun and around and pointed at her.

"It's the president!" he said.

Asked how he knew Martin, the man, who has a son at EMU, replied that he'd been following the school's situation the last few years on the Internet. Martin invited the man and his family to visit the presidential home some time.

The father soon wrote back in an e-mail. "Thanks for being so available and personable," he said, adding that the EMU presidency had "devoured" several people before Martin. "It's a hard job, one that we as a family will support you in."

Martin marveled at the feeling in the note, which arose out of that short conversation.
"It's very humbling," she said of such encounters. "And it's wonderful."